Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to fully occupy the Gaza Strip in a sweeping escalation aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages, according to reports in Israeli media.

The decision marks a turning point in the nearly ten-month war, as Israel’s military — already in control of roughly 75% of the territory — is now set to seize the remaining areas, including the zones where intelligence believes hostages are being held.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Prime Minister’s Office directly told the IDF Chief of Staff to follow through with the new directive — or resign.

This came hours after harrowing videos released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad showed two Israeli hostages, Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, in visibly distressed conditions. Braslavski said he could no longer stand due to injuries, while David, shown digging what he said was his own grave, spoke of going days without food.

“When I see these, I understand exactly what Hamas wants,” Netanyahu said in a televised address on Sunday. “They do not want a deal. They want to break us using these videos of horror.”

Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday night, demanding an immediate ceasefire deal. The crowd was one of the largest to join the weekly protests in recent months, spurred by the emotionally wrenching hostage footage.

Netanyahu, who met with officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross, said he had urged the organisation to deliver food and medicine to hostages — access Hamas has refused throughout the war.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll inside Gaza continues to mount. The United Nations estimates that nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid since May, mostly near distribution sites run by an American contractor working with Israeli backing. Israeli forces deny targeting civilians directly and claim they have only fired warning shots to control crowds.

From March to May, Israel imposed a total blockade on the enclave, barring all food, medicine and humanitarian supplies. That policy was partially relaxed after international outcry, but conditions remain dire for the roughly two million Palestinians still trapped inside the war-ravaged territory.

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With inputs from Agencies

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